I have the best job in the world! 

Okay, I grew up with a mother who had issues (and rightly so given her history) about her daughters being self sufficient and able to stand on their own two feet in life whether or not there was a man present.

Weird, but I grew up thinking that the fairy tale meant Prince Charming was a prerequisite roll and that I could not be Princess without him.

I’ve learned a lot over the years.

I’ve learned I am not my job.

I’ve learned I am not my income.

I’ve learned that as much as I love working, I really would have been happier staying at home, homeschooling my children and being a great (less stressed) wife and mommy.  Well, as we all know, our choices make us and I chose poorly earlier on, because I believed in error…but I digress.

I have a great job.  It is the next best thing to doing the stay home mommy thing that I wish I could have done…now that it is far too late.

I teach.  I am off when my kids are off.  I am working when they are in school and, yes, I do have times when things rub and the kids get less of me, but since they’ve all been able to attend the school where I teach, they have a great deal of me most of the time.  It isn’t perfect, but it is very, very good…in spite of all my wrong turns and I’m pleased and grateful.

But I teach.  I teach 4th grade.  And Fridays are the best because on Fridays we have P.E. 

Now, what corporate excecutive gets to plan games and play them and get paid a professional wage to do it?  Not many. 

Okay…I was in the gym today and I played this great game with the kids called “4 Corners” and they, of course loved it, because they love me and I them and we have this positive synergy going.  They groan when we have to quit. I groan when we have to quit because it means that I must go back and play study hall monitor and be serious.  Ugh.  I only do it because I can get all my prep done for the upcoming week and then I don’t take so much work home…and this weekend I have BIG plans so bringing work home is not going to work for me.

But when I was in the gym I noticed that 4th grade is an almost idyllic age.  They are still young enough to play and run.  And, every single one of my 31 students was smiling and happy today during our PE time.  I looked out at their smiling, gleeful faces, completely incognizant of the stresses and worries of the world and I thought, I am the luckiest of people. 

I love my job!